East Carolina University
12/04/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/04/2024 13:10
Donors, students celebrate scholarships that lighten the load of medical school debt
Donors, students celebrate scholarships that lighten the load of medical school debt
Published Dec 04, 2024 by
"It should not be the case that when you cross Interstate 95 you have a different life expectancy," Dr. Michael Dale Warren told a crowd of donors and medical students at a scholarship luncheon at East Carolina Heart Institute Nov. 15.
Scholarship medical students Dana Hunt, Jessica Mack-Gill, Jaaziel Garcia Granados, Andrew Cunningham and Deanna Torres celebrate at a scholarship luncheon put on by the ECU Health Foundation at the East Carolina Heart Institute Nov. 15.
Warren, a 2003 graduate of East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine, spoke about his rewarding experiences giving back to the medical school community. He endowed a scholarship for students in his parents' names - the Dale and Janet Warren Scholarship.
Eastern North Carolina is a region with poorer health outcomes than the national averages across many measures, including mortality rates for newborns and women in childbirth, "and yet, while we know those disparities exist, and they are stark, they're not as bad as they used to be because ECU is here, because ECU is making a difference," Warren said.
Dr. Michael Waldrum, dean of the medical school, thanked leaders of the state of North Carolina for their financial support of the school, including the $265 million appropriation to construct the Center for Medical Education Building. It is expected to open in 2027. The investment will add 195,000 square feet of space to the medical school, and with it, new space and resources to admit 120 students each fall, up from fewer than 100 today.
It's "a really large increase," Waldrum said, and "our region needs the care - and the students and faculty who want to be here."
In the audience sat many such students, all of them scholarship recipients. This year, 71 unique scholarships were awarded to Brody medical school students resulting in 103 scholarship awards totaling over $706,000.
Graduating medical student Nupur Jain stands with Dr. Stephen and Dr. Martha Engelke who endowed The Engelke Family Scholarship, this year awarded to Jain.
"Medical school is hard, and you can't make it easy," said Waldrum. "We can't make health care and the knowledge it requires and the rigor of becoming a physician easy. But we can help each other through it. We can help our students by relieving some of the financial burden. This helps with the financial anxiety that many students experience and supports our students success. That is what this celebration is all about, and we are thankful to our donors in supporting ECU and our students"
One of those listening to the dean was Adrianne Mitchell, a fourth-year student and the Dale and Janet Warren Scholarship recipient.
"The Dale and Janet Warren Scholarship award was tremendously encouraging and a great financial relief," she said. "Their belief in my potential and investment in my education will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on my life, and I am committed to paying it forward to students coming after me."
Brody School of Medicine students graduate with 33% less debt than their peers nationally. Much of that is a credit to the donors named in the event program who support scholarships through the ECU Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm supporting ECU Health and ECU's health sciences schools.
"The foundation connects with alumni and friends of the Brody School of Medicine as well as ECU's College of Nursing, School of Dental Medicine, College of Allied Health Sciences and Laupus Library to raise philanthropic support for programmatic needs, scholarships, research and patient care," Chief Philanthropy Officer Scott Senatore told those in attendance.
Dr. Warren told the students in the audience that philanthropy doesn't have to start big, but neither should it start late.
"For the students here who will be alumni very soon," the foundation will seek to engage you at some point, Warren said. "No one will ask you to endow a scholarship straight out of school, but there are lots of things you can do. You can sponsor a white coat at the White Coat Ceremony. That's an easy lift - an easy way to support the folks who come after us."
"Health equity and eliminating health disparities is baked into the mission of this institution. That really resonates with me. It is a privilege to be able to give."
To learn more about philanthropic opportunities, visit the Brody School's advancement website.